Premier League and FA Cup Final Review – Gameweek 37
Virtually no-one tipped Wigan Athletic to win the FA Cup this season, even once the Latics had reached the final against Manchester City. But the north west club have shown a tendency to reserve many of their best performances for the biggest occasions, and once again they delivered at Wembley. City missed their big chance in the first-half, when Carlos Tevez was denied from close range, and as the game developed, last season’s Premier League champions looked increasingly short of ideas. The key turning point was arguably when Pablo Zabaleta received a second yellow card for a rather reckless sliding challenge. Wigan took advantage of their numerical advantage, and scored a late header from Ben Watson, which brought them the first trophy in their history. Unfortunately, for the Latics they could be brought down to earth rather unceremoniously in the next couple of days, as if they lose at Arsenal on Tuesday evening, they will be relegated.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United career at Old Trafford ended entirely appropriately, with a late winner. Rio Ferdinand struck with minutes to go as United saw off Swansea by two goals to one, in a game that the tabloids inevitably described as Ferguson’s ‘swansong’. There is no doubting the chasm to fill at Old Trafford.
The man who hopes to do so, David Moyes, also enjoyed a victory in his final home fixture. Everton beat West Ham United by two goals to nil, to ensure that the Toffees will finish sixth in the Premier League this season; probably the best that they could realistically hope for. Moyes bid an emotional farewell to the club at which he had been for over a decade, and will be expected to achieve rather more than a sixth-place finish next season.
Suddenly the race for Champions League places has become two into one, as Chelsea came behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park. Blues fans were far from surprised of the identity of their goalscorer in this match; Frank Lampard struck twice to finally go past Bobby Tambling’s all-time scoring record. Is he worth a new contract? You’d have to say that it might just be worth a gamble…
Newcastle fans’ hearts skipped a few beat at Loftus Road, as their side went a goal behind to QPR, but ultimately Newcastle secured their Premier League status by scoring twice to win 2-1. While it has been a far from satisfactory season for one of the biggest clubs in the country, ultimately they are well placed in terms of their squad to compete in the top half of the table next season.
By contrast, their neighbours and rivals Sunderland must still wait and hope that they’ve done enough to survive, as they drew at home to Southampton. Neither of these teams is mathematically safe, but a win in their last game will ensure that they avoid the drop. Both groups of supporters will have more than an eye on proceedings at the Emirates on Tuesday evening, as a Wigan defeat will ensure that they are relegated, sparing both Sunderland and Southampton.
Another team that have definitively retained their Premier League status, though, is Norwich City, who emphatically marked their avoidance of relegation by battering West Bromwich Albion 4-0 at Carrow Road. With the signing of Ricky van Wolfswinkel to integrate into the squad next season, Canaries fans can look ahead to the future with some form of optimism.
Finally, Liverpool’s closing fixtures have not been imbued with a great deal of meaning, but the team has at least showed that it can cope without Luis Suarez, at least to some degree. The Reds battered Fulham by three goals to one at Carrow Road, with in-form Daniel Sturridge bagging a hat-trick. Brendan Rodgers will now be expected to strengthen the Reds’ hand during the summer transfer window.
Premier League Results
Saturday 11th May, 2025
Aston Villa 1 – 2 Chelsea
Sunday 12th May, 2025
Man Utd 2-1 Swansea
Everton 2-0 West Ham
Fulham 1-3 Liverpool
Norwich 4-0 West Brom
QPR 1-2 Newcastle
Sunderland 1-1 Southampton
Stoke 1-2 Tottenham
Premier League Table
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